Across Time and Space
by Ben Thryss
Summary: Ben Skywalker never would have thought he'd become a time traveller. Much less a time traveller with two years of memories missing. Now, in the final year of the Clone War, he struggles to find his place in the universe and reclaim the family he once had. I GIVE UP. THIS STORY IS DEAD. SEE MY PROFILE FOR THE PREVIEW OF THE PHOENIX THAT WILL RISE FROM ATAS' ASHES...
1. Prologue

**Star Wars**

**Across Time**

**and**

**Space**

**

* * *

**

**It is a dark time for the galaxy. After the betrayal of a trusted ally, the Jedi Order was once again eradicated. **

**Save for one.**

* * *

I was never one to follow rules, that was Arica's department.

Yet I sat there, betrayed by the closest being to me in the galaxy.

Arica.

No, Darth Enim.

Up until two years ago, Arica had been a servant of the Light side as I was, and would always be.

Then she met _him._

Jarek.

We met him while patrolling the Outer Rim territories.

I blame myself for not sensing the darkness within him.

If I had, perhaps the Jedi would never have been killed off.

Perhaps my parents would have survived.

Perhaps...

"No." I said, "Never again."

He turned her to the Dark Side, and she slaughtered her own parents.

Mom and Dad.

Jacen and Jaina.

Uncle Han and Aunt Leia.

The Jedi Order.

She even killed Jarek.

She took over the Republic, and was in the process of having it absorbed back into the Empire.

As soon as I heard, I left Tatooine.

I violated my self imposed exile.

And I'll kill her.

"Artoo, drop us out."

The astromech jacked into the wall beeped, and the enchanting blue tunnel known to many as hyperspace faded away, exposing the billion points of light that were about to be subjugated to an evil dictatorship the likes of which hadn't been seen since the time of the late Emperor Palpatine. I grasped the control yoke, and set the _Jade's Scion_ on a direct course for the planet in front of me.

Coruscant.

I hadn't been there since Arica's falling.

She'd hesitated, and I escaped.

I left them.

I left them all to be slaughtered by the girl who had become a monster.

That's when I realized.

It truly was my fault.

In her moment of hesitation, I could have killed her.

But I was a fool.

My tactical display lit up, and I could see the iconic red X-wings of Rogue squadron fall in around me.

The comlink beeped, and the voice of my old friend, Lon Shevu came through.

"_Jade's Scion_, you are entering orbit without proper clearance. Break off or be destroyed."

I hit the reply button.

"Piss off, Lon."

I pushed the yoke forward, and my ship accelerated way past the acceptable orbital speeds. The X-wings gave pursuit, firing lasers.

I take after my Dad in that I'm an amazing pilot.

"Artoo, take them out with the turret."

The ship rumbled as the dorsal laser turret fired on my old friends. I scowled.

'Damn you, Enim.' I thought.

I flipped the ship over, and three of the pursuing fighters were set aflame.

The rest didn't last long.

I pulled left, and stopped the ship over Fellowship Plaza.

A very ironic name.

I sprang from my seat, and hit the control for the boarding ramp.

Artoo nudged my leg.

"Bye, buddy." I said, patting his dome head.

I ran to the edge, and leapt from the end of the ramp. A perfect swan dive into the air.

I drew my twin lightsabers.

I heard an explosion above me.

The _Scion _was gone.

Artoo was gone.

My family was gone completely.

I landed in the middle of the plaza, among the thousands of other sentients that had come to witness what would, unbeknownst to them, destroy them.

A dozen stormtroopers raised their rifles in my direction.

I didn't care.

All I cared about was retribution.

Not the Jedi way, but then again, I was the last Jedi in the galaxy.

My way was the Jedi way.

I let loose a Force push, and they went flying into traffic.

Lightning lanced out at me from the crowd.

I raised my hand and absorbed it. It was painful, but I dealt with it.

"So, the last of the Jedi finally shows himself!" Arica sneered, "At last, the Sith will fully take revenge. The Jedi will finally be destroyed."

"I don't think so."

"Silence! We shall settle this one on one."

She threw off her blood red cloak, and I activated my twin cobalt blades.

"Observe and learn, my apprentice." she said, and another girl stepped forward. I recognized her. She was a friend of mine from before my temple days.

Tetra Lehswana.

I'd had no idea she was Force sensitive.

She had a lightsaber at her belt.

Enim charged, activating her twin crimson blades.

Luke Skywalker, my father, had trained us both in the fine art of Jar'Kai. She mastered it far faster than me, but I'd _truly_ mastered it.

I blocked her strike, and put in a leftward slash, which she easily blocked.

We exchanged blows for quite some time. Her attacking, me defending. Up until recently, I wasn't the attack Nexu that she'd always been.

Times had changed.

I Force pushed her back, lifted her into the air, and threw her. I leapt into the air after her and lifted my blades over my head. I slashed down, but she blocked.

She got up and slashed again. I blocked it and jumped over her head. I stabbed at her, and she parried. I rolled left, and stabbed again.

No success.

I jumped and rolled all around her. Trying to keep her confused.

My guess was that she got tired of it, because she zapped my with lightning again.

This time, it hit me.

I hit the ground, writhing in pure agony.

She stood over me, smiling maniacally.

"You're even worse than Sidious!" I screamed.

"You're damned right. I will bring peace, order, and justice to the new Empire! With the Jedi gone, there will be no one left to challenge the rule of the Sith!" she yelled.

The lightning ceased, and a crimson blade swung at me.

I backed up, but it grazed my face, leaving a long cut over my left eye.

"AAAGH!" I screamed, bringing my hand to my face.

"Another scar to remind you that I am superior." she said.

She shocked me again, draining the life out of me with a constant stream of Force lightning.

I screamed, she laughed.

"Yes, scream! Cry for mercy and I might consider giving you a quick death!"

I couldn't deny it. I was mad. I felt hate boil up inside me like a raging storm.

I threw my hands out, and my lightsabers came flying into them, igniting in mid air. Her lightning stopped, and she took a defensive posture.

I advanced on her and let loose a series of vicious, lightning fast attacks, taking her off guard. She barely blocked them and all of a sudden, I had the advantage.

Her defense crumbled like a thousand year old wall, and I soon had her at her knees.

"You've taken everything from me!"

"I took what was mine."

"You took what was _ours_!"

"Then kill me. Strike me down in anger and complete your journey toward the Dark side."

I hesitated, but it wasn't the kind of hesitation that would make me stop.

I raised my lightsaber, when a bright yellow light exploded into existence behind me.

I turned to look, and felt a slight pull from it.

"No..." I whispered.

I turned back to Arica and raised my blade again. The pull grew so strong, I started to pull backward. I deactivated my sabers, and returned them to the hooks on my belt.

"You were right, Ben. Years ago, you told me that the Force was a strange, unpredictable thing. Something that could turn on you at any minute. I think you're finally experiencing your turning point." Arica said, and slashed me across the chest.

"NO!" I protested, my left leg starting to enter the light.

It was excrutiatingly painful, made more so by the fact that my chest had a burning line across it.

"NOOOOOOO!" I screamed, as I was fully pulled into the light.

Pulled through the light, into an era of darkness...

* * *

**So that's the first update. I've made Arica a lot more Sithy if you ask me.**

**I really need reviewers to tell me if I'm doing okay.**

**Please, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE! review.**


	2. Chapter 1: Sphere of Influence

**Sphere of Influence**

* * *

Pain.

It seemed as if it was all I'd ever known, I'd been in the light for so long.

Pain.

Endless, agonizingly excrutiating pain.

And before I knew it, I was falling...

...oOo...

The Senate was moving in circles. Constantly relating one subject to another to the point where nothing was accomplished.

One Senator stood in her pod, pleading for the Senate to intervene in the blockading of her homeworld, Pantora. She was losing.

Riyo Chuchi was her name.

"I beg the Senate to listen to our pleas! Ignore the Trade Federation's feeble attempts to paint this as a domestic issue and allow us to resume trade!" she shouted, throwing her hands together to prove her intention to beg if necessary.

The collected Senators, over a thousand of them, applauded. The thunderous noise echoed throughout the Grand Convocation chamber, and the Senator covered her ears.

It seemed as if she had won this round. Lott Dodd was glaring at her from his Senatorial pod hovering in the other side of the chamber.

She smiled.

All was going well, when a bright yellow light flashed into existence above high above her. She looked up at it, her eyes wide with surprise.

There was what appeared to be a human shape inside of it, writhing in agony as lightning strikes hit it again and again. She cringed, slamming her hands over her ears when she heard it scream, and the shape launched out of the light, landing hard in her pod.

It was a boy. Seventeen, maybe eighteen years of age, blue eyes, blond hair, lightsabers at his sides. He looked like he'd been through hell.

He had at least three broken ribs where they protruded nastily from his skin, his head was bleeding dangerously, his right arm was snapped in half, and he had a deep gash across his chest. There was thick red blood everywhere.

"Help... meeeee..." he wheezed.

"Lieutenant, fetch a medical capsule immediately!" she said to the blue skinned man behind her. He saluted, and ran from the pod into the corridors of the large Senate building.

"Don't worry, help is on the way." she said softly to him.

"...Thank you..." he croaked.

She pulled him off of the edge of the pod, and onto one of the couches that rimmed it.

"Where is that krething capsule?" she asked herself.

A moment later, her aide returned, along with a team of medical personnel.

"We'll take it from here, Senator." one of them said.

They lifted him into the small stasis chamber, and closed the canopy.

They pushed it away quickly, and she decided to follow. She felt drawn to the boy, somehow. They ran like madmen, but she kept up with them. She stared through the small window at the agonizingly still form of the boy. While he looked like he'd been maimed by a pack of Nexus, he was quite attractive. He was very lanky, but muscular enough to give any gangster a second thought over jumping him in a dark alley, with a nasty looking scar over one of his eyes that reminded her of Anakin Skywalker. They finally made it to the Senate infirmary, and the medics quickly prepared a bacta tank. It took several minutes of painfully slow work, but they managed to undress him and get him into the tank without causing further injury.

"How long will it take for him to heal fully?" she asked the monitor droid.

"I do not know for sure, but I calculate that he will have healed sufficiently to exit the tank in approximately seven days."

"Do we know who he is?"

"A DNA sample was taken, but we have no results as of yet."

She nodded, and stared at the the floating boy. Although she'd never had to take a dip in one herself, she'd heard from several people that floating in a bacta tank was mildly disconcerting. Being surrounded by liquid for hours, even days on end just couldn't be pleasant.

"Keep him in good health." she finally said.

"Yes, Senator." replied the droid.

She turned to the exit and left without another word. It was a strange phenomenon, that yellow light, but it somehow seemed _right_, like it was meant to happen. Orchestrated by a higher power, she supposed. He seemed farmiliar somehow, but she couldn't seem to figure out from where. She almost didn't notice the two _very_ farmiliar, _very_ recognizable faces approaching until they were right beside her.

"Riyo," said the orange skinned girl approaching her, "We heard that something happened."

The Senator looked up at the tall man beside the orange skinned girl, Anakin Skywalker.

"Oh, that's where." she said.

"Riyo, what happened?" the girl said again.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka. This... boy came flying out of nowhere in the middle of the Senate chamber. He nearly landed on me."

"The Council sent us to investigate. You should get home."

"I'm inclined to agree."

With that said, she walked away, wondering who this mysterious man was.

...oOo...

**About three days later...**

I woke surrounded by blue stuff. A breathing unit detached from my face. I opened my mouth and gagged at the terrible sweetness of the liquid. Bacta.

'Where am I?' I thought.

Then it all came flooding back to me. The fight. The fall. The angel. I looked around, seeing the blurred shapes of medical droids bustling about, performing various tasks. I uncoiled my Force presence from around myself, and reached out, trying to figure out where I was. I whirled around when I felt a Force presence behind me. No, not a presence. A _beacon_.

He might have been a bit taller than me, but I couldn't tell. I could, however, tell that he had a vertical scar over his right eye, which reminded me. I raised my hand to my left eye. There was a scar over it. The man made an upward gesture with his hands, and I looked up. There was a droid there, waiting for me to come up. Seeing nothing quite as smart to do, I kicked my feet, sending my head through the surface of the light blue liquid. The droid clamped it's hands around my shoulders and hoisted me up out of the tank, lowering me to the floor. Another droid placed it's arm around me and helped me over to a bed. My legs felt weak.

"Hello." said the guy from the tank, "I'm Anakin Skywalker. Who are you?"

Okay, weird. That was my grandfather's name.

"Okay, year, please." I said, my eyes wide.

"The date? Don't you know?"

"No. Please, tell me the year."

"You seem strange. The year is 15 ArS. Now do I get an answer?"

"...Seriously?"

"Ummm... Yes."

"Kark." I said

I was over sixty years in the past.

"My name is Ben." I said, slamming my palms into my forehead.

"Well, Ben, are you a Jedi? The medical droids detected unusually high levels of midichlorians in your system."

"Yeah, where I come from I'm a Jedi."

He looked puzzled, clasping his hands behind his back.

"What do you mean, where you come from? There's only one Jedi Order."

I was about to respond, when a Togruta girl, maybe a year younger than me, charged through the door.

"Master Skywalker," she said, her concern evident in her tone, "I've just recieved word that Chairman Papanoida's daughters have been kidnapped."

"Why are you coming to me about this, Snips? You know the Jedi can't get involved in this. This is a job for the local police." the Jedi responded.

"I'm not sure the police can handle this, Master. The Separatists have been putting a lot of pressure on Pantora to join them."

"You know that we can't."

"Master, if the Jedi can't formally get involved then let me do this on my own. Senator Chuchi is a good friend of mine."

Skywalker shrugged.

"Alright. With the Separatists involved, I guess it gives you cause to investigate. Go help Senator Chuchi, but _don't _get in the way of the local authorities."

"You're not coming?"

"I said, the situation gives _you_ cause to investigate, not _us_. I have to go back to the Temple and make sure the Council doesn't find out about your little escapade."

It might have been the will of the Force that made me speak up, it might have been my inceasant need to help people.

It might have been blind stupidity.

Either way, I decided to interject.

"If I may, Master Skywalker." I said, standing up beside him, "I might be able to help your Padawan with her mission. I think I know where the Chairman's daughters are. Roughly."

"No offense, but all I know about you is that your name is Ben. Not enough to gain my trust."

I sighed.

"My full name is Ben Skywalker. I'm from the future, but I don't have a clue why I'm here."

A pair of skeptical looks was all I got.

"You need proof? Okay. Skywalker, you broke the Jedi Code majorly two years ago. No one knows about it."

That seemed to get his attention.

"Oh... Ummm... All right." he turned to his apprentice. "Keep a close eye on this guy, Ahsoka. I don't trust him."

With that, the powerful Jedi Knight left the room.

The girl offered her hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Ahsoka Tano. I'm guessing that you'll be joining me on my investigation, right?"

I slapped my hand into hers, shaking it firmly.

"Yep," I said, "I'll always help out a fellow Jedi."

"You're a Jedi?"

"I'll explain on the way to this Senator Chuchi's office. For now, just know that I'm here to help everyone. Myself included."

She gave me time to pull on my worn and tattered Jedi garb, which consisted of a black sleeveless tunic, dark grey pants, and matte black boots. I strapped on my belt, from which my twinned lightsabers- very similar in design to my father's- hung, and checked to see if my Holocron was missing from the pouch. It was all there, thank the Force. That Holocron was all that I had to prove my case.

The energetic Togruta practically dragged me down a hallway, all the way to a turbolift before she finally released my wrist. She questioned me further about myself, and I gave her what answers I could provide without irreparably altering the timeline.

The lift door opened about seven hundred floors up, and we stepped off into another hallway. This one was carpeted with a dark red material that looked, to me, like it had been soaked in blood. Tano stopped halfway around the slowly curving hallway, opening a door into the office of Riyo Chuchi only to see two more people in there with her.

"Chuchi," Ahsoka said, "I heard what happened. We're here to help."

"Chairman," said the Senator, "This is my good friend Ahsoka."

"Oh, good." the elder one of her guests said, "A Jedi can always be of use."

The Senator's eyes swiped from Ahsoka's to mine. Only then did I notice her fully. In my opinion, the lights could have been out and the room would still have been lit by her ethereal beauty. I found myself staring at her.

'Damn, I'm in love...' I thought hyperbollically.

When I snapped out of it, I noticed her ogling me.

I could practically hear Ahsoka sniggering. Remembering myself, I bowed low.

"Milady, I am at your service."

She shook her head sharply.

"Thank you. We need all the allies we can get in this dark time."

She sat down at her desk again, turning to face the man that I assumed to be the Chairman.

"I assure you, Chairman, the recovery of Chi'Eekway and Che'Amanwe is one of my top priorities at the moment."

"If I may," I put in, "If these Separatists are involved, then your daughters are probably being held onboard the command ship of the Blockade in orbit of your world."

"And since Dooku is coming forward with help..." the other visitor said.

"Exactly." I said, shaking my fist slightly.

"A not so subtle way to get us to join the Separatists." the Chairman said, a somber expression dominating his features.

"If this is the case, then we must be cautious."

"Why don't the two of you and Chuchi pay them a diplomatic visit?" the Pantoran man suggested, gesturing to me.

"I'm game." I said.

"No question." Ahsoka added.

"Very well. We'll contact them and inform them that the Pantoran Senator will be arriving within the next twenty four hours." Papanoida said, walking for the door.

"Good day, Chairman." I said.

"Likewise, Master Jedi."

I turned back to the Senator and Ahsoka, who were standing together behing the desk at the window.

"Oh, where are my manners? Come in, please." Chuchi said, waving me over.

I stepped past the door sensor, and the durasteel door finally slid shut.

"I'll have a transport prepared." Ahsoka said, trying to walk past me and out the door.

I held out me hand and stopped her.

"Don't leave me alone with her. Please." I whispered very quietly.

She backed off and sat down in one of the chairs.

"You're going to need to disguise yourselves. If I arrive with two Jedi beside me, my access will be heavily restricted." Chuchi said.

"Don't worry, Senator. We'll be well hidden in plain sight." I said.

She gave me a confused look, and turned to Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka, we'll need to arrive in an unarmed diplomatic vessel. Can you get us one?"

"No problem. Just leave the details to us, Riyo."

"Thank you, my friend.

"Now," she said, stepping in front of me, "I don't believe that we've been properly introduced. I am Senator Riyo Chuchi of Pantora."

She held out her hand, which I kissed as I bowed to her again. I wanted to lie about my name, say something like Solo, but I was totally mesmerised by her. What's a self-respecting Jedi Knight to do, but tell the beautiful woman his real name?

"Jedi Knight Ben Skywalker." I answered, "Although I would prefer that name stayed a closely guarded secret."

"Interesting." she said, taking a seat behind her desk.

"Time travel is confusing. I'm from a point sixty years from now, actually."

"Really?" she asked, sounding a bit more excited than before, "How did this all turn out, originally?"

"From what I recall, it ended well. Our history records of this period were fragmented at best."

"Good to hear. That only increases our chances of success."

Little did either of them know, there was a problem that would inhibit the mission from going well in any way.

That damned Skywalker luck.

_**End, Chapter One, Sphere of Influence**_

**I hope you liked the first true chapter of the revamped ATaS.**

**For those who think that Ben and Riyo are being a littly... hasty, this is supposed to be one of those 'love at first sight' situations.**

**Anyway, please review, and tell me how I'm doing!**


	3. Chapter 2: Blockade  Part One

**Blockade - Part One**

**Initiation**

_Screams of terror, the Temple in flames, stormtroopers blasting Jedi left and right._

_I stood in front of my dad, frantically deflecting blaster bolts as he ushered a couple dozen of the initiates to the transport._

_"Go faster! I can't keep this up!" I shouted tiredly._

_My arms felt like lead, my sabers felt like barbells, I felt like collapsing._

_They sped up slightly, but it wasn't enough. I deflected the last shot back at the last trooper standing, and turned around just in time to see a pair of violet blades suddenly burst through my dad's stomach._

_"NOOOOO!"_

_The colour faded from his face, the light in his eyes went out, and his lightsaber slipped from his hand._

_The initiates screamed and scattered, but were almost immediately gunned down._

_I looked around, my eyes wet and red, watching the massacre._

_"Why?" I asked, tears falling freely from my eyes, "You've betrayed us all... Why?"_

_Arica Skywalker shook her head._

_"No, you all betrayed _me_! By blocking me from the Dark side, you prevented me from reaching my full potential! Jarek showed me the way to real power, but you have only yourselves to blame for this carnage!" she yelled, pointing one of her blades at me._

_Then I noticed another lightsaber at her belt. Mom's lightsaber._

_"You killed mom?"_

_"Yes."_

_That was the last straw. I screamed in rage, and charged her, swinging my cobalt blades from side to side. She blocked them all before kicking me in the face and sending me to the ground. She raised her blades, but hesitated, looking apprehensive._

_My rage faded, and I Force pushed her away, drew my sabers to me, and sprinted for the _Scion_. As soon as my foot hit the ramp, it started to lift off. I looked back down at the flaming remains of my home as the _Scion_ flew away. The Jedi all screamed into the Force, the initiates begged for their lives, and I cried, shutting the ramp._

_"Artoo?" I asked into the cockpit, "Set a course for Tatooine."_

_The Force was silent, like a pond that's smooth as glass, and I was the only ripple_.

_I was alone._

...oOo...

I snapped upright in an unfamiliar bed, coated in a cold sweat, feeling dead.

"Kreth..." I said breathily, "Just a dream, just a dream..."

But it wasn't just a dream. That had happened just two years ago, and it was my fault. There was no avoiding it. The Jedi massacre had been my fault.

"Cool it, Skywalker. You've got a job to do." I told myself, slamming my hands into the sides of my head.

I checked my chrono, which read oh two hundred.

I contemplated sleeping.

Yeah, fat chance of _that_ happening.

Without botheringwith my tunic, I pulled on my boots, belt, and pants, and stepped out into the corridors of the Jedi Temple. It was eerily quiet, and I cringed. I could practically hear the ghostly voices of the dead Masters in my head.

_"Your fault..."_

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I stepped out onto the flat rooftop of the Temple proper. I immersed myself in the Force and stood near the edge of the roof, thousands of feet off the ground. The wind whipped by my bare upper half as I started one of my personalized hand-to-hand katas. I ran through every single one that I knew in a matter of minutes, so I started a saber exercise. In the middle of an aerial flip, I pulled my sabers into my hands and activated the blue blades of plasma. I slashed around my body in wide, elegant arcs, my movements fluid, my eyes closed. I let the Force guide my every movement, becoming one with the mysterious energy field. I started performing jumps and flips as I swung my sabers, moving all over my non-existent target. I heard a sound like a twig snapping, and landed on my feet immediately. The sun was just on the horizon, and my senses told me that I had been up there for three hours.

"Well, hello there." said Ahsoka, standing a couple meters away from me, "You're pretty good with those things. Who taught you?"

"My father."

"Right... Future."

I noticed that she wasn't in the attire I'd seen her in the previous day; she was in what looked like a sleeping outfit. She had a lightsaber in her hand, though.

"What're you doing up?" I asked.

"My quarters are just below here, and the roof isn't very well sound-proofed."

"I'm sorry, I'd no idea."

"S'okay."

I took the chance to analyse her from her stance, a skill that my mother had taught me. She was confident, right handed, strong, lithe, and deadly. She utilized the Force to great effectiveness when duelling saber to saber, but her skills in telekinesis were lacking. Her saber was designed to be held backward.

"Need a practice partner?" she asked, following my gaze to her saber.

I smiled. "Sure, I'd like that."

We both flipped our lightsabers into the reverse grip.

"Shien user?" I asked, impressed.

"Yeah."

"You'll have difficulty; I use Juyo in the reverse."

"Nice."

She ignited her flawlessly emerald blade and struck, swinging at my neck as I Force hopped over her head. I landed behind her and gave her a telekinetic shove, sending her sprawling.

"No fair!"

She blocked my next few strikes, using acrobatic maneuvers that I recognized as Ataru. She couldn't keep using a single form for long, it seemed. I smiled, and started spinning my sabers in arcs around my body, weaving a basket of light that she had a hard time blocking. Eventually, her saber slipped from her hand, she fell over, and my lightsaber tips impaled the ground beside her neck, crossed in an X.

"Gotcha!" I said jovially.

"Fine, then! Let's see who can jump higher!"

"Uhh, no."

I deactivated my sabers and hooked them to my belt. Reaching down, I grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Thanks." she said, her saber flying into her hand.

"You can't seem to hold a single form long enough to seriously dent defences. Try keeping with the Shien form for a while." I stated.

"Master Skywalker says that Shien isn't an accepted form for a Jedi Knight." she replied, sounding like a child.

"I happen to be a Jedi Knight, and a Shien user, so Skywalker can take that instruction and shove it up his exhaust port."

She sniggered. "Oooh, if Master Skywalker heard that..."

"Which is exactly why he won't. Let's go prep for the mission."

"Sure."

...oOo...

When I boarded the shuttle later that day, I could instantly tell that the ship's Astromech and I were going to have a love/hate relationship. It identified as R6-B1 after it slammed into my leg. I decided to call it Sparks because of his yellow and silver colour scheme. Oddly enough, he seemed to enjoy the name. As I was checking the ship's systems for any sort of defect, I was surprised when the Senator dropped into the co-pilot seat. Apparently, she had opted not to wear her Senatorial garb, instead just wearing a pair of simple pants and a long sleeved shirt. Her hair, however, was still held up in twin ponytails by the gold plates on her temples.

"Hello." she said happily.

"Hi." I responded.

I'm rather embarrassed to say that I just sat there awkwardly for several minutes, too distracted by her to work the control panel, but too infatuated to make conversation. I hadn't ever actually been like that before. It was disconcerting that she had that kind of an influence on me.

"So, what're you doing?" she finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Well, uh, I'm checking the systems for defects, umm, test rotating the deflector shields, and ummm, yeah."

"Sounds... fun." she said, sounding unsure of how to properly respond.

"Heh," I laughed, "Not in the least, but it has to be done. How was your night?"

"Pleasant enough, considering the circumstances of yesterday. And yours?"

I slapped myself mentally. I didn't want anyone to know about my sister, but I couldn't help but tell the truth around her.

"I had a nightmare. I relived my sister's betrayal." I said, trying to sound at least somewhat upbeat.

"Oh. Care to talk about it?"

"Not really. It was painful enough to watch it."

She fell silent and simply stared at me, making my skin feel like there was a pair of lasers boring into it. I guess she picked up on my discomfort, because she looked away. Not a moment later, Ahsoka stepped up the ramp, cloak fastened around her shoulders.

"Okay, kids, let's get going." I said, peeling the ship off the landing platform and up into space.

Once I'd placed us in hyperspace, I stood from my seat and went to sit in the small passenger area. Ahsoka and the Senator moved back into the cabins to get set up for the six hour trip. Not long, but long enough to warrant a bed and kitchen. I closed my eyes and immersed myself in the Force. I reached out and felt the galaxy for what it was at the moment. A veritable hellhole. Why, just three parsecs away, a Clone battle group was being torn apart by a Separatist armada. I cringed as the last of their presences were wiped from existence. A moment later, everything changed. I saw a place that was harmonious and free from tyranny, one that would have made my father proud to live in. Then, a spot of Darkness appeared, and grew larger. It lashed out at the Light, consuming it, converting it and growing stronger still, until the entire galaxy was shrouded in Darkness. It was not pleasant.

I opened my eyes and saw the Senator staring at me from her seat. Coincidentally, her seat happened to be _very_ close to me.

"Do I make you uncomfortable?" she asked innocently.

I wasn't sure how to respond at all to that question. After all, a response could go either way.

"Ummm... Ish?" I said cautiously, "I just haven't been around friendly people for a long time. I've been living in exile for the past two years. I'm sorry if it comes across as discomfort, Senator."

"Not so much discomfort, as you just seem a lot more awkward around me than you are normally."

"To put it bluntly, I haven't been around an attractive woman for a long time. Living as a hermit will do that to you."

"You find me attractive?"

"Yes, who wouldn't?"

"I don't know. Never mind."

"Alright. You should rest, somewhat long trip ahead of us."

"If you say so, Jedi Skywalker."

"Please, Senator, call me Ben."

"Okay, Ben." she said, smiling coyly, "Call me Riyo."

Ahsoka chose that moment to saunter into the room and seat herself directly between Riyo and myself.

"Ahh, what a comfortable seat!" she said, crossing her arms behind her head and reclining.

...oOo...

As soon as we landed on the Trade Federation battleship, I knew something was out of place.

"Senator Chuchi, to what do we owe this unexpected pleasure?" said the one who appeared to be in charge.

"I bring word from the Chairman of Pantora." she said confidently.

"The Chairman has finally decided to agree to our terms?"

"Not exactly. The Chairman wanted to inform you of an impending alliance between Pantora, and the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

"The Chairman is planning to join the Separatist Alliance?" the Ambassador asked, though I noticed a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"If that were the case, would you remove your blockade of Pantora?" Riyo asked hopefully.

"_If_ that were the case, the Chairman would need to go to the Senate and renounce the Republic. _Then_ we could discuss how quickly we could resume commerce."

"Very well. I will contact the Chairman. We can discuss the finer details of the agreement later this evening."

"Agreed. Now you and your servants will stay as our honoured guests. Come this way to your rooms." he said, stepping to the side to allow us past.

I could sense great Darkness in the two Neimoidians, and my hands automatically drifted to my lightsabers. He led us down several winding corridors, up turbolifts, down turbolifts, and once I was certain that he thought he was certain that we would be totally lost, he stopped us at a pair of doors across a hallway from one another. Ahsoka and I would be rooming together, but I wasn't bothered by it. I didn't think we would be staying long, and I seriously doubted I would be sleeping.

"I hate those scum bags." Ahsoka spat, dropping her bag down onto the one bed in the room.

"A Jedi doesn't feel hate, Ahsoka. Watch yourself. Take the bed; I don't think I'll be sleeping anytime soon."

"If you say so, Skyguy."

I was totally perplexed by that.

"What?" I asked, scratching the back of my head.

"Well," she began, "Since we kind of developed a more formal Master Padawan relationship, I can't call Master Skywalker 'Skyguy' anymore. _You_, on the other hand, have the name Skywalker, and you're not my Master, so it's perfect. Henceforth, you are Skyguy." she stated with finality.

"If you say so. But you do realize that this means I have to find an equally ridiculous name for you, right?"

"Yeah, I figured."

She layed down on the bed and closed her eyes. I sat down on the floor, and decided to tinker with my lightsabers a bit. I lifted them up with the Force, and disassembled them. The pieces started to fly around my body wildly, making a whirlwind of flying durasteel and Kaiburr crystals. The pieces started slamming together as they span, taking their shape. When I was left with four halves of the hilts, I bunched the six crystals into two groups, and closed the sabers around them.

Making a lightsaber was like making a plan. Each piece has to be placed precisely to be able to activate the blade.

The Force was filled with presences in that time, making me wonder why it had willed it's most devout supporters to be wiped out by the ones who seeked to control it.

The Force works in strange and mysterious ways.

My eyes snapped open when I heard a thump. Ahsoka had fallen off the bed, but she hadn't even flinched. She was a very deep sleeper.

'_What I wouldn't give to be able to sleep like her._'

**End, Chapter Two, Blockade, Part One, Initiation.**

I hope you liked it, but it's fine if you didn't. If you have a tip or suggestion, PM me, please. I'm terribly sorry for the slow updates.

Please, review if you liked it.


	4. Chapter 3: Blockade Part Two

**Blockade - Part Two**

**Onset**

The Neimoidian's dining hall wasn't enormous, but it was big enough to fit the whole group of fifteen Trade Federation envoys, their Ambassador, Ahsoka, and Riyo. I, however, was forced to stand behind my companions.

"To begin," the Ambassador said, "We must discuss your claims of Alliance with the Confederacy."

"I assure you," Riyo replied, "I am being sincere."

"Your word is not enough, Senator. We require some form of physical proof."

"That is why," she replied, handing him a holodisc, "The Chairman sent this with me."

This was a new development for me. I hadn't known about any sort of holodisc being sent, but then again, I wasn't really an integral part of the mission. I was just the hired help on this one. I smiled slightly, but the cowl over my head shrouded my face in darkness. The Neimoidian man snatched up the disc and pressed the playback button. A hologram of the Pantoran Chairman, Baron Papanoida, appeared.

"Thank you for allowing my emissary to speak, Ambassador Jumek'lay. This recording is to solidify her claims that the Pantoran Assembly will be seceding from the Galactic Republic, and joining the Confederacy of Independant Systems. If you are still not convinced, you are well aware of my comlink frequencies, and are welcome to contact me. End recording." the eight inch tall hologram said, before dissolving back into the small device.

"I am still skeptical, however, I shall allow you to state your terms of our withdrawal."

The Federation sleemo was exuding skepticism and betrayal. My right hand drifted to its corresponding lightsaber.

"Thank you, Ambassador. We simply request that you remove your blockade of Pantora, and lift restrictions on our trade routes. In exchange, we will devote our full military might to the cause of the Separatists." she stated, leaning a bit closer to the table.

Beside me, Ahsoka was roiling. Her hands were clenched into fists behind her back, and her teeth were gritted. Reaching out to her mind, I sent her a message.

_Relax. Force-choking the Ambassador isn't going to help Riyo's case._

A moment later, a reply echoed in my head.

_Shut it, Skyguy._

The rest of their conversation was a blur to me; I was having so much fun taunting Ahsoka. But, I got the gist of it. The Neimoidians were going to 'think' about it. One karking _massive_ chance of _that_ happening. We were showed back to our quarters, but I still wasn't having it. Grabbing Ahsoka's arm, I dragged her over to the Senator's suite across the corridor.

"Riyo?" I asked, stepping into the main room.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked, rising from her bed, which was enormous, by the way.

I let go of Ahsoka and threw off my robe.

"That Trade Federation scum is deceiving you. We aren't going to accomplish the mission like _this_." I sneered at the luxury quarters around us.

"Well, _Master Jedi_," she replied sharply, "What would _you_ suggest we do?"

"I say we find out what those sons of murglaks are planning!" I retorted, waving the door open with the Force.

"And how, praytell, do we do that?"

I started off toward the door, throwing her a coy look over my shoulder.

"By hiding in plain sight."

...oOo...

Sneaking around was easy enough, Neimoidians weren't that smart, and were more weak minded than a Trandoshan Hunter.

Now _that_ was saying something.

The Ambassador's office was our first stop. He would be there at this hour, most likely with Sib'canay.

The reception area was abandoned but for the guard typing at the desk at the back of the room. Ahsoka snuck her hand around the corner, using the Force to rattle an ornament on the opposite end of the room. The guard rose to investigate, allowing us to sneak by and reach the office.

I stuck my ear to the door to Jumek'lay's office, listening for voices. I heard two, and they were getting louder.

"They're coming!" I whispered, "Hide!"

The three of us hid under the table just as the door opened, and the two ugly Neimoidians stepped out.

"We need to know who our supporters are." Sib'canay stated, shuffling beside the Ambassador.

"I understand your profit margins with the Separatists can be considerable, however, I object to the kidnapping." Jumek'lay responded, stopping their waddle in front of the table.

"The Chairman's children are leverage! Besides, they are well taken care of."

"Yes, but why on my ship?" The Ambassador snapped.

Next to me, Riyo gasped quietly, before she realized it, and slapped her hand against her mouth. The Neimoidians stiffened, looking around the room.

"What was that?" said the Envoy. "Are you certain we're alone?"

The Envoy approached the table, and I motioned for Riyo to follow me. Staying low, we hid behind the pillars to the sides of the room. Ahsoka jumped up to the top of two and braced herself between them with her arms and legs.

"I'm sure I heard something." Sib'canay muttered, walking toward where Riyo and I were hidden.

'Brace yourself.' I said into her mind, picking her up bridal style and jumping to the top of the pillars. I braced us there with my legs in a perfect split just as the Envoy whipped around the pillar we'd been hiding behind. The Pantoran in my arms wrapped her arms around my neck, holding close and looking down at the two Trade Federation representatives.

"All this scheming with the Separatists is making you paranoid."

"Do not worry, the daughters are not to be harmed," Sib'canay commented, retreating back into the office, "At least, for now..."

The doors slammed shut. I unlocked my knees and dropped to the floor, using the Force to cushion my fall.

"Thank you." the Senator said as I lowered her back to her feet, but she didn't release my neck from between her arms.

Her eyes were mesmerizing. While most beings with yellow eyes I'd met were Sith, she was different. Their eyes were bloodshot, a harsh, sickly yellow that would make a Hutt cringe. Hers, however, were warm, welcoming. She was beautiful. Driven completely by instinct, we both leaned closer together. However, much to our collective disappointment, a cough from the Togruta at the other side of the room interrupted us just before our lips could touch.

"I truly do hate to interrupt moments like these," she said softly as we jumped away from each other, "But we _do_ have a job to do."

My face was, no doubt, a shade of bright tomato red that would make a Zeltron jealous. I shook my head sharply. "R-Right."

"The Trade Federation is behind the kidnapping!" Riyo added, walking over to Ahsoka at the end of the table.

"We should find the detention block." I said, and we moved for the door.

...oOo...

A few minutes later, we arrived on the deck that housed the ship's large brig. There was a Neimoidian guard at the door, and I laughed internally at the thought. A _Neimoidian_ guard? What a riot.

"The detention block is closed to visitors." he said, gripping his pistol tighter, "Move along."

Ahsoka waved her hand in front of his face. "You _will_ let me pass."

"I will let you pass." the guard responded, stepping aside.

Riyo tried to follow her, but the guard stepped back into place. "I'm sorry; the detention block is closed to visitors."

I stepped up to him. "You will let us both pass." I said.

"I will let you both pass."

"You will not inform your superiors of us."

"I will not inform my superiors of you."

"You will forget you ever saw us."

"I will forget I ever saw you."

"Move along." I added, half-jokingly.

"Move along," he repeated, waving the two of us into the long hallway, "Move along."

I grabbed Riyo's hand, leading her past the guard and down the hallway. A minute or so later, when we were out of earshot, she said to me, "Oh, I thought we were dead!"

I smiled, but then realized I was still holding her hand. Moreover, she was gripping mine. I pulled my hand away, and replied, "The Force can have a strong on the weak minded."

I opened an arbitrary cell door a few minutes later. No one inside. Just to make sure, I walked inside, pulling a lightsaber into my hand. I sensed nothing inside.

We kept walking.

Hours passed in silence. Not a word between us. Finally, Ahsoka broke the silence. "This is the fifth area we've checked."

"Can't you sense where they are? Isn't that something you Jedi can do?" Riyo asked.

"It's not something I can turn on or off."

"Oh, yes it is." I put in, "Focus your power outward, reach out for every cell with your mind, and you'll find the way."

We stopped as the Togruta female closed her eyes and concentrated. I could do it just as easily, but I needed to -as a Jedi Knight- encourage Padawans to use their power. Even if they were seventy eight years older than me. She stepped over to a door we would have passed and smacked the door lock. As soon as I saw the first beige battle droid, I was swinging both lightsabers. They fell to the ground, completely filleted. The blue skinned Pantoran girl on the floor rose to her feet. Chi'Eekway, if memory served.

Which it did.

"Senator Chuchi!" she exclaimed in surprise, "How did you find me?"

The subject of my annoying affections stepped forward and placed a hand on either of the girl's shoulders. "You can thank my friends here for that. Now, we need to go."

Just as they stepped to the door, I gently placed my right hand at her stomach, stopping her. "What?" she asked.

I delved deep into the Force, and felt several mechanical beings moving towards us. "Battle droids." I stated simply and turned to Ahsoka. "Stay here and protect them if anything gets past me."

"Okay." she said, and pulled her lightsaber into her hand.

I stepped calmly out into the hallway, holding my extinguished lightsabers in either hand, a neutral expression adorned on my face. I felt nothing as I stood ready to face whatever was there.

And there, not fifty paces away, was Sib'Canay, leading a troupe of six heavy duty looking droids with arm mounted repeaters. "Blast him!" he ordered, and like their programming required, they extended their arms and fired.

I ignited my lightsabers and batted the first few bolts aside with practiced precision. The Force swirled around me as I dove forward into the group of droids, slashing and hacking until none of them was in any less than six pieces. Then I turned my blades on Sib'Canay. He backed into the wall, the cobalt blade a millimeter away from scorching his windpipe. "Surrender, slime." I ordered simply.

I heard Riyo and Ahsoka step out of the cell, followed by the rescuee.

Before the stunned being before me could yammer a reply, I heard the smacking of boots against a durasteel floor and looked to my right. A dozen Neimoidian guards, flanked by Jumek'lay, were jogging down the hallway. I took a ready position, implanting a Force suggestion in the cowering man behind me's head to stay there. The guards flanked around me, blasters trained on the various vulnerable points on my body. Shows what they knew, to think that I was vulnerable.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Ambassador demanded.

"You've been holding the Chairman of Pantora's daughter hostage, sleemo." I stated coolly.

"Whaaaat? Sib'Canay, what are they talking about?"

I released the frozen being, and he said, "I want my litigator."

The Ambassador turned to Riyo. "We are businessmen! We deal in trade and commerce!"

"Yes," the irate Pantoran replied, "But perhaps your business is war profiteering!"

"How dare you insult me upon my own ship? In front of my subordinates?"

"I dare, because you claim to have no involvement, and yet _here_ stands the Chairman's daughter! On your ship, held by your administrator!"

"I have heard enough of this! Execute them!" Jumek'lay and Sib'Canay walked away, closing the door down the corridor behind them.

"Well, we're screwed." Ahsoka said.

The Neimoidians cocked their blasters and stood in a ring around us.

"Ever heard of a Dantooinian firing squad?" I asked to no one in particular.

"A what?" Riyo asked.

They took aim. I disengaged the power in my lightsabers and clipped them to my belt. "When I say, drop."

The three women nodded. The Neimoidians pulled their triggers, and I shouted. We dropped at the same time, and the guards shot each other.

"Perfect timing, everyone!" I cheered sarcastically.

...oOo...

After much deliberation, we decided the most appropriate course of action was to run away.

We retreated to the hangar bay, slicing up any and all resistance we met along the way. Finally, we arrived.

To find about a dozen Neimoidian soldiers pouring shots out at our ship.

"Hey, bucket heads!" I shouted, grabbing their attention. They all shifted their sights on me, letting loose a torrent of crimson blaster bolts at me. If I'd been anyone else, I would have died. I snapped my blades into the path of all of their shots, deflecting them back at their shooters. They fell, to the floor, dead.

"Go!" I shouted, "Get to the ship before more of them come!"

I stopped and closed my eyes, visualizing the ship in my mind, finding the weakest point. I concentrated on the spot just behind the command sphere, and pulled on the Force. With a massive pull, I tore the C shaped ship in two.

"Ben, come on!" Riyo screamed. I opened my eyes to see alarms blaring everywhere. I sprinted for the ship as fast as I could and jumped aboard just before the ramp closed.

"It's no use," Ahsoka complained, "The bucket heads did too much damage!"

"I can fly it." I said as I kicked her from the pilot's seat and sat down.

I pulled the joysticks back and assisted the damaged thrusters with the Force, hurling the ship from the hangar just as the battleship exploded. The ship rocked, the engines going out entirely, as we spiralled toward the planet below. Riyo and Chi'Eekway screamed in terror. Ahsoka vomited on the floor beside my boots, and I just sighed.

"No." I said determinedly. "This is _not_ how my life ends!"

With a surge of sheer will, I commanded the flaming ship to slow in its fall. The cityscapes of Pantora flew past below us at speeds I didn't care about. I pulled with the Force, and actually grabbed the console in front of me and pulled.

"YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I screamed, pouring every ounce of power I had into the pull.

A minute passed before we stopped. And by stopped, I mean crashed into a building. The entire ship smacked into a structure and sailed sideways, end over end. I was pushed back into my seat, then slammed forward. My head hit the console, and everything went dark.

...oOo...

"Uuuuuurg..."

When I woke up I was back in the Temple med ward. How I got there, I didn't know. Then I realised, I was alone.

I snapped up in bed, hoping that nothing had happened to the three women.

"Hey, easy." someone said. One gloved hand gently pushed me back down to the bed.

I looked up and saw the face of Anakin Skywalker smiling at me. "How'd I get here, Skywalker?" I asked groggily.

"Well, first, you crashed into our Senate, second, you crashed the Neimoidians' party over Pantora, thirdly, you crashed into Pantora... Has there ever been an instance where you haven't crash into something?" he asked, chuckling.

"Last tuesday." I said after a moment of thought. "That was a good tuesday..."

He laughed again. I remembered my father. I saw that he and this man were similar to an almost painful extent.

"Anyway, Ben," he said, gingerly placing a hand that I sensed was mechanized on my shoulder, "Ahsoka and Senator Chuchi told me that you saved their lives."

"Eh, it was nothing."

"And that warrants my trust. I don't know if you're telling the truth about your origins, but I trust that you'll reveal what you think you should when the time is right." he stood and walked away.

I sighed and tilted my head toward the window and looked out at the sun shining beautifully of the chrome buildings. I belonged there. It was my duty to help them.

To save my grandfather.

I smiled, knowing that I had a purpose.

Knowing that I had a family again.

**YES! Finally done!**

**That isn't the end. There's roughly 34 more chapters to go. I have six partially written, Including the Battle of Coruscant from the original version. I'm adapting that one to fit the new storyline.**

**Anyway, review if you like. The updates do come faster if you review.**

**Sorry it took so long.**


	5. Chapter 4: Under Cloak of Night Part One

**Under Cloak of Night - Part One**

**Stranger in a Strange Land**

A week passed before I really got even a little bit used to being in the past. I felt out of place, like I wasn't meant to be there.

I know, crazy, right?

I had none of my things, save the clothes on my back, my lightsabers, and my holocron. I should explain that. When I was... seven, I think, my dad said that he wished there were more historical Jedi records. So, I swiped one of Master Tionne's blank holocrons and started recording. It was connected to my mind via the Force, so everything that I heard and saw and said was recorded. Schematics for fighters and capitol ships and weapons were locked away inside, along with some standard Jedi training modules, and almost all of the records from the Great Holocron.

I didn't have my ship, the _Jade's__Scion_-a modified Baudo class StarYacht-, so I was working to rectify that. I had already sent scaled-down plans to the Temple shipyard, and they'd sent me an ETC that would _never_ be met without breaking the laws of physics.

I put down the datapad and spread my arms along the back of the couch, my left one brushing Ahsoka's shoulders. She shied away and sat in the seat across from me. I rolled my eyes and pulled up a holonovel on the datapad, picking it up again. The Jedi were ridiculously uptight in that era, and I sometimes wanted to smack that Windu guy.

I learned that was a bad idea after I actually _did_.

The book was called '_Stranger__in__a__Strange__Land_'. I snorted at how ironic that title was and tossed the pad again, taking my leave.

"Where are you going?" Ahsoka asked suddenly. Her eyes were on me as I turned back to her.

"For a walk." I turned again, but she continued.

"The Council said to stay here."

"Ahsoka." I said, walking over to her and leaning over so that my face was maybe nine or ten inches from hers. "I was locked in that med-ward, and then locked in this room, for _three_ _days_, and I'm going _crazy_. Well, crazi_er_.Be it as it be, I need to get out."

At this point she looked only a bit less uncomfortable then I'd been when I'd walked in on Jacen and Tenel Ka making out. And by making out, I mean like Nexu fighting over a dead bird. That had been awkward, but back to the story. "Uh, is there any way I can convince you to, um, stay, perhaps?" she asked. I noticed a bead of sweat run from her jaw to her chin. At that point I realized that she was having a varitable 'oh god, what do I do, there's a dashingly handsome man close to me' panic attack. A condition that many of the girls in the Temple nowadays adopted when I was around them.

I thought briefly that maybe uptight was an understatement. Possibly the biggest one of the millenium.

"Nope. You want to make sure nothing happens, you'll just have to come with me." I grabbed her wrist and dragged her to the door.

"Wh-what if the Council calls for your debriefing while you're gone?"

"They won't. And _we_ are going for a walk whether you like it or not."

"But WHAAAA-!"

And the door to the room slid shut behind us. No one heard her scream...

Ominous, eh? I was thinking that up all afternoon.

...oOo...

We exited the Temple to face a great challenge. A gauntlet composed of enough stairs to make even my father impatient walking down them. I half-dragged half-carried Ahsoka down the stairs two at a time, but stopped a few hundred paces down to look at the Temple proper.

My breath caught in my throat. The place was absolutely... gaudy. And huge, huge too. But gaudy. It was basically a square that went up about five hundred stories, with five spires atop it that each went up hundreds more floors, the central one being the tallest.

The Temple in my time had been tiny in comparison. Not to mention a pyramid.

"What?" Ahsoka asked, finally ceasing her squirming and joining me in my stare. "It's just the Temple."

I finally realized I wasn't breathing and inhaled deeply. "I know. Let's just say that it's different than I'm used to."

"What do you mean? The Temple's been the same for the last thousand years." she looked over to the side at me.

I turned and kept walking. On second thought, maybe revealing that I was a Skywalker to the galaxy at large was a bad idea. I fiddled with the scarred pommel of my right lightsaber. It was my original, the one I'd constructed when Tahiri Veila took me as her Padawan. The second one I'd built when I'd been Knighted, when I was fourteen. I had been the youngest Jedi Knight in known history, with Arica having achieved the rank at seventeen.

I pushed the thought of my sister to the back of my mind. She was gone now, and hopefully would never exist. Or at the very least, would never go Sith on my family.

Over the years, the lightsabers had saved me more times than I could remember. There were deep gashes all over the plating, and the couplers at the pommels had been burned out long ago. Looking down at them, they looked a thousand years older than they were.

We reached the bottom of the stairs and walked across the plaza between the Temple and the Senate Rotundas. Silence ruled over the hour it took us to arrive. I took stock of Ahsoka. She wasn't particularly tall, but then again I wasn't factoring in her montrals. Her eyes were bigger than human norm, but then again she wasn't human.

After two years alone, my skills of observance were _definitely_ waning.

Altogether, she was an attractive -celibate- sixteen-year-old girl with an energy sword and fancy mind powers. The blue armored guards at the doors to the main Convocation Rotunda, or just the Senate building, aimed their weapons at me the second I was in sight. I had a lightsaber in hand instantly.

"Troopers, stand down!" Ahsoka snapped, suddenly sounding like a military commander, not the shy girl she'd been a minute ago. I suspect schizophrenia.

The guards hesitantly lowered their carbines and concealed them beneath capes. Ahsoka gave me a glare at the sight of my weapon.

"Sorry, _mom_." I said as I clipped the worn weapon to my belt again. I instantly regretted it as a spear of sad memory stabbed my heart and mind. Of everyone in my life, I missed mom the most.

She walked past them and I followed, discreetly giving the guards the finger, to which they growled. I looked inside and groaned in annoyance. _More_karking_stairs_...

...oOo...

As the two of us walked along through the halways, several of the more lavishly dressed Senators gave me disusted -even offended- looks. A rather fat Twi'lek actually had the audacity to _scoff_! I memorized his name as one I didn't like very much. Senator Orn Free Taa.

We walked up several floors and finally stopped outside a mostly-empty Convocation chamber. I had a faint memory of the ceiling. And pain; unimaginable pain. We stopped outside of of the pod docks, only to see Riyo emerge in a short purple and red dress and a small gold headdress. Her dark clothing made the twin yellow stripes on either of her cheeks stand out moreso than average.

"Ah, Ahsoka." she greeted, waving her guards off. "How are you?"

Ahsoka laughed lightly and pointed a thumb at me. "Better than him!" she joked.

Riyo looked me in the eyes for a minute, before her gazed drifted downward. She gasped and flinched so hard I thought it was a short seizure. "Ye gods!" she exclaimed.

I furrowed my brow in confusion and looked down. Then I responded in basically the same way as my unfortunate love interest.

My tunic was covered with burns and grease stains, with gashes all over it. My slacks had gone from being solid black to being black and deep red. I looked at one of the shiny walls and saw a hobo staring back at me. I was never one for caring about my appearance, but I couldn't believe that I'd gone outside like this. Without _realizing_ it, no less!

I noticed Ahsoka laughing and gave her a Force-shove into the wall, knocking her breath out.

Riyo grabbed my wrist. "Come." she said.

"Where're we going?" I asked, letting the petite woman drag me.

"This will never do." she replied, giving my old training outfit an up-down gesture. "We're going to fix it."

I was shocked. I then gaped in absolute terror when I realized what she had just stated as happening. "You don't mean-"

Ahsoka ran beside me, giggling like the teenage girl she should have been, and screamed, "Shopping!"

...oOo...

The subsequent five hours were even more painful than my flashy entrance into this time three days prior. I was dragged store to store by a pair of over-excited little girls. Riyo was almost exactly a decade older than me, but acted a decade younger in those hours. I decided that the Old Republic Jedi had it right with their whole 'no possessions or else' rule. Shopping sucked. Hard.

In the end, they had decided on a mid-elbow sleeved white tunic, a black leather tabbard, black pants, and black combat boots. Ahsoka had tried to get me to wear brown. "Do I look like a walking turd?" I'd asked her. She nodded.

At that exact moment, I was sitting in a rather large and comfortable chair in Riyo's apartment in 500 Republica, quietly kicking my own ass in a game of chess while they watched in confusion.

"Checkmate." I uttered.

"Damn!" I then shouted.

My ranting was interrupted by Ahsoka's comlink going off. She tapped it and answered.

"Ahsoka here."

"Snips, we have a problem," came the voice of my grandfather, "Someone's infiltrated the Temple. We need you to meet us in the hangar."

I snapped up and answered for her. "We'll be right there."

I turned around and made for the exit. "Ahsoka, come with me. Riyo, stay and do whatever it is you do." I said. The Togruta followed behind me.

Good ol' times, eh? Hard landings, atmospheric reentry, Temple infiltrators?

I was starting to think that maybe being hunted by the Sith wasn't so bad.

_**End, Chapter Four, Under Cloak of Night, Part One, Stranger in a Strange Land**_

**I can't put into words how sorry I am that this update took so frelling long. I know it's short, but it honestly is just to get the ball rolling. I'll update when I update, but it won't be nearly as long. Hopefully before the year is out.**

**I'm sorry, but I'm pressed for enough time to write right now. Anyway, reviews make me happy. So review, please!**

**Cheers.**


	6. Chapter 5: Under Cloak of Night Part Two

**Under Cloak of Night - Part Two1**

**Apparently, Business as Usual1**

**_1**

Even before I got shot through time, I was having a rotten week. First, all of my moisture vaporators had gone down. Then, my speeder was stolen. Then, Jawas raided the 1_Scion1_. Then my sister started turning a democracy into a dictatorship, then I did the Time Warp Agaaaaaaaaaain (Catch the reference?), then I hit a planet. Then, of course, I was tortured from store to store.1

At that particular moment, I was hanging in an atmosphere circulation chamber looking for intruders. We had no leads as to who -or, dare I say, 1_what1_- we were dealing with, but I had a feeling.1

Bounty Hunter.1

I'd dealt with enough of them to know their trademarks and trails. Boba Fett was known to leave a trail of dead bodies behind him. My cousin, Jaina Solo, was notorious for carving 'S' symbols into walls with a vibroshiv.1

From the pattern the intruder had left so far, I guessed either a Duros or a Mando. But, from the green blood I'd found on an outer ledge of the Temple I was inclined toward the former. However, it could mean a number of things. For one, it could be a Mando with a Duros accomplice. Or a trick to make us think Duros so they could move under our radar. I tapped a button on my belt and descended my liquid cable. I spotted a cut in a wall and stopped a couple hundred feet down. I raised my forearm and tapped my comms with my chin. "Command center, this is Skywalker. I've found something."1

A moment passed before a bass voice responded. "Report."1

"I see a cutout entry point in AC tube one-five, approximately five-hundred-and-sixty feet from the original access shaft. Looks like a plasma cutter, but the carbon scoring could be from a laser as well."1

"...Go through and see if you can apprehend the intruder."1

I lowered my arm back to the cable and the comms shut off. With a heave, I kicked my legs out and started swinging toward the cutout. At the apex of my third swing, I caught the ledge and pulled myself up. I released my cable and got up, sprinting down the vent I'd accessed.1

While I was down here, Ahsoka was in the Temple Archives researching known Bounty Hunters capable of this crap. Gramps and Obi-Wan were on the other side of the Temple, guarding the communications center. Yoda and Windu were with them.1

Something smacked my boot and I stopped to look down. It was a droid part, a finger probably. I unclasped a lightsaber from my belt and started running again.1

I arrived in a chamber after a little bit and looked around. Empty.2

Except for the battle droid in the center of the room. It was different from the ones I'd seen on the Neimoidian ship. It looked more like a YVH droid than anything. Its faceplate was closer to the droids of the day, though. Without preamble, it drew a vibrosword and struck. I ignited my lightsaber and parried at the last second, and as I stepped back I span into a strike. The droid blocked and struck out at my head.2

"Just like old times..." I muttered.2

The thing bounded off the walls, slashing and slicing and thrusting and stabbing. I stepped back and took a ready position. The droid did the same.2

I took it in. Duraplast exoskeleton, approximately six feet tall, three fingers on each hand -although its left hand was missing its pinky-, and thin as a beanpole.2

A strategy popped into my head as we charged at each other. As it swung at my neck, I dropped to my knees and slid beneath the sword on the slick durasteel floor.2

When I was behind it, I kicked the floor hard and flew upward, upside-down, and slashed my cobalt blade through its shoulder joint, disarming it. I landed in front of it and slashed it apart, banishing the fragments into the wall with an outstretched palm for good measure. I raised my com. "Command center, I found a battle droid in the vent shafts. I assume that's bad, so I'm going to keep going. But be appraised, we may have more on our hands," I said.2

The disembodied voice of Master Windu prodded m2e2 2on, so I jumped down another access shaft 2without a second thought.2

...oOo...2

Ahsoka trudged down the short flight of stairs into the Jedi Archives. Master Nu greeted her quietly. She saw many people around as she made her way to the central bank of data terminals. She saw Amster Ord Ennis22ence at a terminal far from others. That struck her as odd, but she kept moving. From a talk with Ben, she'd surmised that the invadernhad to have some sort of inside help. So far, nothing had piqued her curiosity as to who the codger might be, but she was going to find out.2

222She seated herself at a terminal and booted it up2.2 The screen displayed the Jedi Order symbol, then shifted to a message;

_/Please input request/_

She cracked her knuckles and lay her fingers on the keyboard.

\Call up a list of all known high-threat Bounty Hunters on Coruscant\

Then the screen filled with all sorts of data; from names to droid designations. She started scrolling through them. Before she knew it, an hour had passed. Her eyes drooped when one name in particular caught her eye.

_/Scrolling paused; please input request/_

_\Display further information on Cad Bane\_

an image of a blue-skinned Duros man appeared before her. She'd heard of him before. He only took the highest paying missions. Never bothered with masking his presence. He seemed the most likely candidate, being on the Republic's most-wanted list for charges of theft, murder, smuggling, murder...

He seemed like a real charmer, overall. She tapped her comms and raised it to speak.

"Ben, I think I've got it," she said.

...oOo...

"I'm a little busy here, Ahsoka!" I cried, leaping over another vibrosword as I hacked one of the dozen or so commando droids in two.

"Ben, you have to hear this!" the persistent girl replied. I ducked a blade and deflected another. My lightsabers were a flurry of light all around my body, slashing and hacking all over to block the droids. I hurled one into another, compacted the two with a clenched fist, and hurled the ball of duraplast at a droid that was bearing down on my right side. Six left.

I flipped backward onto my hand and ducked a strike. The droid kept coming.

"Die, tin can!" I cried. I reared back and struck its sword. The blade cracked as it flew from the droid's hand. With a flourish of my off-hand blade, The droid fell in pieces. The other five charged simultaneously.

With an outstretched palm, they hit the wall behind them again. I flipped my lightsabers around in my hands and looked around. I could feel my heartbeat in my ears, adrenaline pumping through my veins, and I was breathing heavily.

"Ben! Can you hear me? Hello?" I'd almost forgot.

I stowed my sabers and raised my comms again. "Yeah, Ahsoka. Had a bit of trouble with some commando droids in the lower levels. What is it?"

"I think I know who's behind this."

There was a short pause. "Well? Gonna keep it to yourself?"

"Uh, right. Ever heard of Cad Bane?"

"In passing from old timers, why?"

"I sliced the Bounty Hunter's guild mainframe and found that a Changeling named Kreto was just hired by him. Not only that, but he was supposed to do a job on Taris, but suddenly dropped everything and headed here."

I cupped my chin and considered. "I think you're right. If we're dealing with this Bane guy then we're gonna have to be careful. Especially with Kreto around somewhere," I said, "Find the Changeling, Ahsoka. Skywalker, out."

I continued down the passageway, igniting a lightsaber both for light and defense. I could feel the Bounty Hunter was close.

...oOo...

I stepped down into an open hatchway just in time to see a figure in a trench coat and wide-brimmed hat dash around a corner. "Gotcha."

I took off down the pipe after the Duros. His droids were pissing me off, and it was time for some serious ass-whooping Jedi moves.

"Hey, you! Stop!" I yelled, my other saber snapping to life.

A pistol rolled into his hand and fired a shot back at me. My blades crossed and intercepted it, knocking the plasma bolt into a wall.

"Okay, _now_ I'm pissed."

I batted his shots aside as I poured Force power into my legs, driving them for all that they were worth to catch him. Just as he was about to throw himself down another hatch, I tackled his legs from under him and sent us both into an uncontrolled tumble down the open tunnel. My lightsabers flew out of my hands, and his blasters joined the weapons, leaving us both unarmed.

We landed on a platform above the junction between the Holocron vault and the comms center and sprang to our respective defences.

"A child?" he scoffed, "The Republic must be running out of Jedi."

"Call me a kid, one more time." I dared him. My hands became fists. I was no child.

"No child will ever beat me."

I jumped clean over his head and drop-kicked him from behind, sending the bastard sprawling over to the side of the platform. He raised an arm in retaliation and tapped a button. Lightning shot out at me.

I threw out a hand and sent out a wave of energy myself, trying to hold the lightning off and hurl it back at him. The charged beam destabilized and struck upward, into the ceiling high above. A fist hit my jaw and I faltered, but turned with the impact and swept my left leg out. Bane jumped my attack but came back at me ferociously with fighting tactics I'd never even seen before.

I blocked him and reciprocated blow for blow for as long as I could, but it was too much. His knee connected where no male wants to be connected in and I fell over sideways as his steel-toed boot snapped my jawbone. He stood over me and I watched as a pistol magnetically flew into his hand.

"Goodbye, _child_," that time, it was an insult. Both my hands flew out and I banished him off the platform with a powerful burst of the Force.

But, just as I stood, something hard connected to my head and everything went black.

...oOo...

Ahsoka watched as the Ennisence look-alike shifted to look like Master Nu. "Hey, stop!" the Padawan cried out.

Kreto turned and grabbed Nu's lightsaber, igniting the blue blade and running at Ahsoka. The young Togruta girl lit her blade and deflected the amature strike. She parried again as the Changeling span into another attack.

Kreto slipped and stumbled as she blocked Ahsoka's retaliatory attack. The young Togruta girl decided that it might be fun to play with this one for a bit. She started making wide, enticing strokes that would make a Jedi Consular itchy to attack. Then, as Kreto would have her in her crosshairs, Ahsoka would parry perfectly, glancing the imposter Nu's blade aside and rolling behind her to start the process anew.

Thrice the pair danced this way, before Ahsoka grew tired and batted the Cahngeling's blade away, rolling to the side and handspringing atop a chair only to flip over her adversary's head. With a final flourish of her emerald blade, Ahsoka sent Nu's lightsaber flying across the room and pinned the Changeling.

"Bested," Ashoka said.

...oOo...

When I came to, Ahsoka was supporting my back. I looked around to see Jedi everywhere, all standing around a blasted-apart door. "What happened?"

"Bane kicked your scrawny ass, is what," Ahsoka said, laughing.

Obi-Wan, Windu, Anakin and Yoda walked out of the Holocron vault. "Wait!" Kreto, the Changeling called.

I rose to my feet and joined them. "What do you waaaaaa-" my jaw was definitely broken.

"Bolla Ropal," Kreto said.

"What did you say?" Anakin sounded threatening.

"Bolla Ropal, some Jedi..."

"Master Ropal is stationed on Devaron currently," Mace added, before Anakin could get antsy.

"He's Bane's next target."

A silence fell over the Masters. "What?" I asked.

"The keeper of the Kyber crystal, he is," Yoda said, "About our military intelligence, this never was."

"The Kyber crystal contains a list of every Force-sensitive child known in the Republic. Thousands of beings. The future younglings," Obi-Wan said.

They all looked absolutely hopeless. Ahsoka was downcast. I guessed they'd never heard of rescue ops before. With a painful jolt, a zapped my jaw with the Force, melting the bone together and solidifying it again. A temporary fix.

"Skywalker, have your ship ready to go in an hour. Ahsoka, marshall every troop you can get and get us clearance for offworld operations," I said.

"Ben?" she asked, cocking her brow.

"Mount up, kids!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together, "We're going to Devaron!"

_**End, Chapter Five, Under Cloak of Night, Part Two, Apparently, Business as Usual**_

**Done. Tile you it'd be up before the end of the year (by a second)! **

**Hope you liked, and HAPPY NEW YEAR! W000000000T! Thanks to all who reviewed last chapter (no one). (Seriously, _no one like it_?)**

**Anyway, review this one, please. Hope to do monthly updates at the very latest, now. **

**Farewell, my friends, and have a legendary new year!**


	7. Chapter 6: Stealing What's Been Stolen 1

**Stealing What's Been Stolen - Part One**

**Crashing the Party. Again. I Think.**

As I stood on the bridge of the _Resolute_, staring out into the massive blue tunnel of hyperspace, I thought back to my days of training. I was thirteen. Tahiri and I were on a ship bound for Adumar to sort out some-such there.

I'd made the point that she wasn't a very good teacher, what with the whole 'Draw lightsabers first, ask questions if convenient' attitude.

She'd smacked me upside the head and sat me down at the dinner table. I remember eating pancakes while she talked.

_"Think back, Ben. What's one of the first things you learned in training to become a Jedi?"_

_I swallowed a slice of my dinner. "Don't cut off your own head with a lightsaber."_

_"After that."_

_"Your eyes can deceive you. Be mindful of your feelings. Girls are fun but dangerous. Lando has extra cards up his sleeve."_

_"True, all true… But anyway, my point is that you know lots of pointless stuff. What's a little more?" she walked back into her quarters and closed the door, leaving me to my own._

_"Crazy, I tell you. She's absolutely nuts." I slammed my head down into the table._

I missed her more than I cared to admit. Aside from my parents, Tahiri was the closest person to me in the universe; closer to me than my sister. Still was, in a sense. It felt like there was a hole in my existence where she was supposed to be.

In this new time, all I had was Ahsoka Tano -whom I didn't know very well-, Riyo Chuchi -who made me blush and stammer like a little boy-, and Anakin Skywalker -to whom I couldn't tell anything at all-.

I had no guidance; no one telling me my mission - and that scared me, frankly.

Speaking of the mission to Devaron, I was still surprised that the Council had even allowed me to go.

_"Excuse me?" Windu asked, "We can't send you on a mission."_

_I balked at him and cracked my jaw; it was stiff. "You can't expect me to just sit here!" I replied, "I need to go along!"_

_"We have no proof of your credibility. We still have yet to debrief you," Windu was seriously starting to irritate me. I crossed my arms and was about to rebut when gramps cut me off._

_"With respect, Master, he dealt the Separatists a serious blow over Pantora. I think it would be a good idea to bring him along on this one. He could be a steep tactical advantage," Skywalker said, nodding in my direction._

_"And should you discover that Pantora was a deception to gain our trust?"_

_I was that close to running him through._

_"Then I'll deal with him. However, I don't think that's the case."_

_"...Very well. For the duration of the mission to Devaron, you are granted the provisional rank of lieutenant. We will assess your position and... interesting story when you return," the dark-skinned man offered._

And that's how I got here, a little badge on my tabbard with two stripes on it. I tensed as one of the officers announced we were coming out of hyperspace. The ethereal tunnel outside collapsed and gave life to the billion points of starlight, and the big green planet Devaron. It kind of reminded me of Dathomir.

Oh Dathomir, how I despise you...

I could almost hear Satele's voice berating me for getting captured. It was a week after the fall of the Order- wait, I was on Tatooine by then...

What the kriff? I took stock of what was in my head. I clearly remembered Tatooine. I was buying vaporators. But at the same time, I remembered being captured on Dathomir and held prisoner for-

"Hey, Ben, you okay?"

I turned to see Ahsoka and Anakin standing behind me a few feet. My grandfather was intently focused on the battle outside that I kicked myself for not noticing, while Ahsoka was watching me with those big blue eyes of hers.

"Uh, y-yeah. I-... I'm fine, Ahsoka. Let's get to it," I pushed the thought of my obviously-altered memories from my frame of thought.

I held tightly to a console as the _Resolute_ banked to starboard, spilling a volley of turbolasers into the side of one of the CIS ships. It detonated without pause.

"Not very sturdy, are they?" I remarked, smiling.

Two more ships went up in the blink of an eye, but the fourth was evading us. I stood straight and started back toward the turbolift. "Ahsoka, I have a feeling we're gonna be needed in the hangar."

"What?" she asked, she and Anakin turning to face me, "Where'd you get that ide-"

"Admiral, direct hit to their hyperdrive! They're dead in space!" shouted one of the officers in the gunnery pits.

Ahsoka's jaw dropped and I smirked. "C'mon, we gotta get out there."

...oOo...

"Why are there no gunships?"

The deck officer looked a bit perturbed at the question, as if the answer was totally obvious. "We were prepared to land on the planet, sir. Extra-vehicular activity in space wasn't expected."

I turned and looked out at what was in the hangar, my hands fixing themselves to my hips. All I saw were a few Torrents, the _Twilight_ and some AT-TEs. Hardly a boarding party's needed repertoire. I glared hard at the ceiling, puffing a lock of my blond hair out of my eyes as I mulled it over. My thoughts were interrupted by a stupid person, however. Rather rudely, mind you.

"We have the ship in a tractor beam. Even in they get their sub-light engines back up, they aren't going anywhere," Anakin said as he patted my shoulder, "So what's the plan, oh mighty time-traveller?"

"Well, we don't have the hardware to board a ship. Henceforth, let it be know that I've hit a wall."

Ahsoka stepped in front of me and crossed her arms. I could sense her thinking, but not what...

"Master, get those walkers powered up," she said.

I turned her around. "What are you thinking, Ahsoka?"

She pointed at the walkers and started to explain her rather ingenious plan. "Their airlocks are obviously locked, so our only way in is through the hangars. That could pose a problem, I thought, but then I realized that we have another entrance," she said. I cocked an eyebrow in question and gave her a look. She smacked her palm into my forehead and pointed at the walkers again. "Even if it's a droid crew, they still need to get out to make repairs and stuff. And to do that, they need...?"

"Personnel airlocks," Anakin said, slamming a fist into his palm, "Snips, you're a genius. You can launch an attack with the walkers to distract them while Ben and I sneak in and get back the holocron."

I had to hand it to them, it was a good plan. "Nu-uh," Ahsoka argued, "It's my plan, so I'm coming along."

Anakin put on an angry look and spoke harshly, "Ahsoka, I can't put you in this sort of situation again. Cad Bane not only captured Bolla Ropal, but he beat the crap out of Ben-"

"Hey! Watch it, Old Man," I snapped in resentment.

"-and someone that strong could easily overpower a Padawan. I mean no offense by it, but we need you to stay with the clones."

"Actually," I put in, "We may need her."

"What?"

"Ever heard the expression 'a chain is only as strong as it's weakest link'?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Ahsoka asked.

"Ahsoka is obviously the least skilled of the Jedi here, and Bane's gonna know that. So, what I'm saying is that we should lay a trap."

"With me as the bait," Ahsoka said.

"Now hang on a second-"

"Gramps," I slammed a hand down on his shoulder as I walked past him, "You need to brush up on your acting skills. Your Padawan's life may very well depend on it!"

I marched to the center of the takeoff runway and screamed, "Torrent Company, prep for EVA combat!"

The blue-armored troops immediately sprang into motion. I turned and pointed a hand at the three AT-TEs. Focusing the Force at them, I willed them active. Their headlights burst to life and their docking clamps retracted. "Someone get me a spacesuit!"

I caught the black garment just before it would have hit me in the head and ran to the martialling area. I kicked off my boots and relieved myself of my belt and tunic before slipping into the tight-fitting melee-type EVA suit. I zipped up the collar, sealed the chest airlock and held the helmet at my side as I buckled my belt around my waist and threw my unused garments onto the ramp of the _Twilight_.

"How long to move those walkers to the ventral hangar clamps?" I asked the deck officer.

"Twenty minutes, sir," the clone replied, his tone sounding a bit more respectful.

"Not good enough. Everyone, stand clear!"

I lifted both hands and focused the Force on the first two walkers, lifting them with minimal effort. I started moving them across the hangar floor, toward the rectangular seam in the middle. "Old Man, get the last one."

Within two minutes, we had a trio of walkers on the deck, troopers loaded inside and on top. With all that done, I lifted the helmet over my head and activated it. It contracted around my head a bit, the outside keeping close to me so as to not get in the way. The bottom magnetically sealed to the edge of the turtlenecked suit and a _hiss_ sounded from the mouthpiece as the airflow started. I nodded over to the deck officer and he pulled a toggle into it's down position. The gravity disappeared and a forcefield appeared around us. I unclipped my sabers as the lower doors opened and the walkers magnetically pulled their feet toward the CIS ship. I jumped forward, my sabers flashing to life and bisecting a Vulture as I passed it. I landed quickly but pushed off again just as fast, keeping myself close to the hull with the Force as I tossed myself every-which-way, cutting down every droid I passed. Blaster bolts lanced out at me and I twirled my right saber twice. Two of the bolts went flying up into space again, while the third struck the one who fired it and the rest missed me entirely.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anakin slice the top off an airlock and shoot down the pipe, Ahsoka and the troopers slowly making their way over.

"Go!" I shouted into the comm, "Get to the airlock! I'll cover you!"

"Thanks, Ben. You heard him, men! Ignore the droids and head inside!"

I telekinetically threw myself behind the last trooper and flung my lightsabers all around me. I jumped back and forth, deflecting blaster bolts back at their masters as the troopers jetted toward the entry. It was easy in space. Deflecting blaster cannon bolts, I mean. Sure they threw me back a bit, but that wasn't important. I kept giving ground until my shins hit the edge of the airlock. Smirking, I took hold of a hull plate with the Force and tore it from it's moorings. I put a spin on it and hurled it like a frisbee at the droids before I doused my sabers and backflipped into the airlock, falling down as I suddenly gained a hundred-and-seventy pounds. My ass hit the deck as the troopers fanned out.

"Ow!" I cried.

Ahsoka helped me up and I pulled my helmet off my head. Fresh, cool air - or as fresh as you get get aboard a star cruiser - breezed by my face as I looked around. Dark grey hallways extended to both my left and right.

"Everyone with me," I said, "The plan is simple, and I'm sure you'll all have a firm understanding of it by the time we're done here."

"Wait a second," the trooper named Rex grabbed my shoulder, "You aren't going to tell us the plan?"

"Never fear, boys, I know what I'm doing. I, uh... I think."

I focused my senses and latently paid attention to my companions as I searched for Bane.

"Sir, he's goind to get us killed," Rex said.

"Cool it, Rex," Ahsoka replied, cutting Anakin off, "Ben's just got a funny way of doing things."

I sensed a person in the forward section... the bridge. One Duros. Bane.

"Got him."

...oOo...

With my back against a wall, I unclipped my lightsabers and waited for Anakin's signal. We were all hidden about three corridors away from the sealed - and locked - bridge, having just arrived a moment earlier.

"Three..."

I gripped the scarred metal tightly.

"Two..."

The activation studs called my thumbs.

"One!"

I ignited both lightsabers and sprinted out of my hiding spot, hacking and slashing at the guard droids. Blue bursts of energy flew from behind me, sometimes stealing a kill. I dropped to the floor and slid under a droideka, cutting it down as I passed beneath it.

I came up to my feet, alone but for Anakin, Ahsoka and the clones. "Well, that went well."

"That blast door's going to give us a bit of trouble," one of the troopers said. I think his name was Gouge.

"Not a problem!" Ahsoka stepped past him and flashed her saber into the door, bringing it up in an arc from the ground.

"Steady, everyone. Open fire when the doors goes down," Anakin ordered sternly. I have to say, I was impressed by the way he commanded his troops. Through respect, rather than intimidation.

And then it did. With a thrust of the Togruta's palm, the door flew inward, demolishing two maintenance droids before it flipped over a console and landed on the captain's seat. Before I saw that it was empty, I almost thought we'd been lucky enough to kill Bane with a kriffing door.

I leapt through the entrance just behind Anakin, my backward-gripped lightsabers flashing every-which-way. I hit the ground and spun round, flipping a blade in front of my right shoulder to deflect a shot as I bisected another of the yellow-plated machines.

Before I could even start to enjoy the battle, it was over. Two droids stood at the front of the bridge.

"Which one of you is the captain?" I shouted, feigning terrifying anger.

"Bwaaah! I'm not the captain," the droid marked 'captain' shouted, "He's the captain!"

"Wait, wha-" I hurled a lightsaber blade into its head.

The captain droid looked at its fallen counterpart. "Well, I guess I'm the captain now."

_Tyow_!

Before I could've even said a word against it, Rex had blasted the karking thing's headplate in.

"Ahhh, stupid soldier..."

I moved over to the ops console and started tapping away. The code was a five-digit number... I put in 88217. My instincts told me that was the combination.

_Access Denied!_

I stabbed again at the _enter_ key.

_Access Denied!_

"Karking thing!"

I pulled up a doused lightsaber and would have put the blade right through the console if Ahsoka hadn't stopped me.

"Ben, look," she said.

I stepped back, my lips pressed into a thin line as I watched her type in the combination, pick up a severed Battle Droid's arm and push the _enter_ button with its finger.

_Access Granted!_

Ahsoka gave me a smug, shit-eating grin.

"Shut up, Shrimp."

"Shrimp? That's the best you can do?"

"Ask me when we get back to the ship. I'll explain its cleverness."

I tore off my left boot and set it on the console. Don't ask me why, I'm not even sure why I did it. At leats, I wasn't until I felt the floor through only the thin EVA suit.

"Do feel that?" I asked.

"What?"

"That."

"What that?"

"The deck!" I said, "No vibrations. No vibrations means the engines have shut down entirely, which means that all that power is going somewhere else. Tell me, where would power be diverted to in the case of captire and boarding by an enemy?"

"But-"

I shushed her and pulled my holocron from its leather pouch on my belt. I pressed it into a datareader slot. The air flickered above it and a foot-tall hologram of Satele Shan, Grand Master of the Jedi Order over three thousand years ago, appeared, swathed in a tan cloak.

"Greetings, Knight Skywalker. It's good to see you; you haven't consulted me in nearly two weeks," the woman said.

"Yeah, yeah, it's good to see you too, Master, but I have a request right now. Your module is plugged into a ship right now. Can you decrypt the internal sensors for me?"

She bowed. "Of course, Knight Skywalker."

"And for the love of the Force, call me Ben, will ya?"

"I'll try, Knight Skywalker."

"Oy..."

Ahsoka grabbed my shoulder and turned me around. "Ben what is that?"

"That, my friend, is my left boot."

_Whack!_

"Ow!"

"Not your boot, stupid!" she said, "That holocron."

"Oh, that. It's my personal data thingymajig. Everything I've seen, heard, or dare I say, smelled in the last ten years is on that thing," I said. The fragmented memory of Dathomir passed through my head again. Was it all on the holocron? I'd have to check later.

"So there's no need to have the debriefing when we get back, right? Just give that to the Coun-"

"No chance in hell," I cut her off.

She looked about to respond when Satele reappeared and spoke. "Knight Skywalker, the encryption is gone. You can proceed."

"Satele, I love you," I replied, smiling.

"I have a great deal of affection for you as well, Knight Skywalker."

"I'll talk to you later."

I pulled the small blue device from the slot and returned it to my belt. I then accessed the power allocation. What I saw there was both shocking and shockingly unsurprising.

"The ship's self-destruct has been set," I said.

"What?" Anakin shouted, "How long?"

"About an hour," I checked my chrono, "We need to find that Rodian, nab that holocron and get the kriff off this ship."

"Sir, might I recommend we head the the detention level?"

"Good idea, Rex," Anakin replied," Troopers, with me."

"And me!" I shouted.

So anyway, we skulked about for a while. It wasn't hard to find the detention level. Just follow the smell of rotting flesh. Finding the right cell, now that's the tricky part.

I slid my hand along doors as I walked briskly, Ahsoka doing the same on the other side of the corridor. I couldn't sense anything. Just death and nothingness. Suddenly, Ahsoka's Force presence spiked in surpise as she opened a door. "Master! I found him...," she called, sounding like she was going to be sick.

Eyes wide, I ran to the door to see a Rodian dressed in Jedi robes lying face down on the floor.

Before I get into this, I should tell you that there is a limit to how much a body can be violated before it ceases to be a body and becomes a dead husk; an imaginary line, of sorts. What I saw lying on the cell floor crossed that line by a lightyear.

Bolla Ropal was bleeding from dozens of wounds and the entire left side of his skull has been compacted, leaving an eyeball hanging out of its socket. Blue brain matter oozed from the open wound. Hundreds of other injuries were all over his body: I could even see a few bones stabbing through skin and robe. His internal organs spewed out of his back from a cut too precise to be accidental. The smell alone was like something from the waste pits of Raxus Prime.

I couldn't blame Ahsoka for gagging like she did. My own stomach was doing flip-flops and handsprings.

"That bastard...," I heard a trooper mutter behind his helmet.

"What possible reason could he have to do this?" Ahsoka asked.

"People like Bane don't need a reason, Ahsoka," I said, tears filling my eyes but not falling, "They just kill."

Ahsoka sniffled quietly. I put an arm around her and sat her down as she burst into tears, sobbing into my shoulder. I don't care how young Jedi start or how emotionally detached we're supposed to be. No fifteen-year-old girl should have to see what Ahsoka Tano saw in that cell.

There are very few things in the universe that can make me well and truly angry. Killing without reason is one of them.

To Mustafar with the Code.

Bane was going to pay for this.

...oOo...

I approached the gunnery bay by myself. Not even a single trooper to back me up. I'd sent them the other way around. Anakin knew I could handle myself, and Ahsoka, doubly so. Bane had gone running by a moment ago, but I wasn't going to be baited into running after him.

I sabers thrummed behind me, their vibrations making my hands tingle and ache from how hard I was gripping them. I could sense him up ahead, that fool of a Duros.

I slowly walked into the darkened bay and stopped. I could sense a large space with long strands of turbolaser shells extending from the batteries through the ceiling. I'd have to watch out for those...

The lights burst on and I found myself surrounded by droids, Cad Bane standing about twenty meters ahead of me.

"Welcome, Jedi. We've been expecting you," he said quickly.

I didn't reply. My burning blue eyes glared a hole through his stupidly large forehead. He swung a pistol foreward. "Kill him!"

The droids opened fire. I didn't raise so much as a hand to defend myself. The bolts all stopped in midair around me.

"If there's onething you never want to do, Bane," I said as the droids ceased fire, "It's piss me off!"

I jumped high and let the Force burst out from me like a wave. The blaster bolts went sailing back at the droids.

"Now!" I called as I fell to the ground.

I pair of cannon-hefting troopers spun around the corner and opened fire as I dove forward into the droids' ranks, my lightsabers weaving a basket of deadly light that none of those that crossed my path evaded.

However, I was thrown off-guard when I dropped to the ground to slide underneath a turbolaser battery's barrel and bounced off the floor. The gravity had disengaged.

I started employing the tactic I'd invented a half-hour previous. I grabbed hold of myself with the Force and hurled myself back into the fray. Bane came flying at me as I bisected a droid and deflected another's fire. His armored boot connected to my left shoulder and my saber went flying from my hand. I swung back my right and and managed to cut a swathe through his hat and coat, but nothing more.

"You'll pay for that, Jedi," he shouted, watching smoke curl off his garb.

"And you'll pay for the life you took today, you scum!"

He drew both blasters and started unloading the power cells as fast as his long fingers could. I twirled my cobalt lightsaber around my body, catching every single bolt on the singing blade and throwing them into the droids around me.

I swung at the last shot he fired and batted it back at him. It struck his hip and the holocron that we so desperately sought went flying off his belt. Adjusting my posture, I threw myself over his head and reached for the device. Close, almost...

I fell to the ground five meters below, landing with a thud and a heavy grunt as I heard my hip connect with the durasteel floor.

I propped myself up on my elbow just in time to see the Duros grab the holocron, throw me a sneer and sprint off down a corridor.

"I'll get him, Master!" Ahsoka called as she took off after him. The door to the corridor started to seal.

"No, Ahsoka! It's a trap!" Anakin called after her.

But it was too late, the door had shut behind her, leaving Anakin there, burying his saber to the hilt in it. I threw out my left hand and my lost lightsaber came sailing into it.

"Skywalker! Get after her!" I called, igniting my lightsabers and starting to deflect the blaster bolts again.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?"

Then the entire universe exploded. One of the droids must have clipped a shell, because the ceiling came down and the room was set ablaze.

My comm buzzed as a ceiling plate hit my head. "General Skywalker, there's been an explosion. I caution you to avoid the aft section," came the voice of the _Resolute_'s admiral, Wulff Yularen.

"No kidding..."

Then I blacked out.

I woke up maybe a few minutes later under a pile of debris. Anakin was a few feet away, his hand aimed toward me and his eyes closed. The hull plates lifted off of my chest and legs and I quickly rolled out of the way. He dropped them and helped me to my feet. My left shin hurt; I'd probably bruised it, and my suit was torn.

"Well, that went better than I expected," I said, wiping dust off my face and EVA suit.

"Shut up, Ben. We need to save Ahsoka."

"Ah, yes! The Shrimp!"

I threw out a palm and banished the door from its mountings.

"Come," I said, "We go!"

Anakin walked out ahead of me, his lightsaber gripped tightly in a gloved fist. I could sense anger coming off of him in waves. It was concerning, to say the least.

I followed him slowly, checking my chrono as Skywalker hacked a trio of droids in half. We had eighteen minutes before the ship went up in flames. Cad Bane glared at me over Anakin's shoulder.

"You! Step into the airlock!" he shouted, his hand hovering over a slave controller on his wrist.

"You're psychotic if you think I'll do that," I replied.

"Listen, you Jedi. My employers are paying me a very hefty fee to get them the data on this holocron. Your little orange friend isn't storng enough to open it, but you two most certainly are," he said, "So it's either you step into the airlock with the youngling or open the holocron with Skywalker."

"You're a monster."

"I'm a bounty hunter."

"No!" I shouted, throwing my lightsabers to the floor as he pressed down on the button that would effectively end Ahsoka's life, "Bounty hunters are honorable people! They kill only when necessary to accomplish their goals. What you did to Ropal was just despicable; an act worthy of a Hutt, sleemo!"

"Watch your language. I release this switch and your friend dies."

"You release that switch and there's nothing to stop me from killing you," Anakin growled.

Bane brandished the holocron and the Kyber crystal. "Choose, Jedi! Your friend or the holocron!"

I glared at the floor. My plan had fallen to pieces from that explosion. Now I was playing chance with Ahsoka's life...

Anakin and I dropped to our knees nearly simultaneously, droids confiscating his lightsaber and recovering mine from where they's fallen.

"Good. Now open it!"

I stirred the Force imbued in the holocron and raised it between me and my fellow Jedi. Using his control over the odd energy, he released the catches and the corners fell away.

"The crystal, you bastard."

Bane smirked and chortled as he placed the Kyber in the holocron. The corners flew back toward it and the cube reformed. The holocron glowed green as it fell into his hand.

"My employer will be most pleased!" he laughed out loud.

I opened my eyes and nodded to Anakin. He nodded back and we each pulled a pair of lightsabers to our hands; I got his and Ahsoka's, he got mine.

Powering the blades, I rolled backward and slashed a droid up the middle. I turned just in time to see Bane release the button and flee. I quickly slashed at the force field's control panel and releasedit. The outer door opened and I held tight to the wall. Ahsoka grabbed my feet and Anakin was lying behind and outcropping on one of the walls, safe from the suction of space.

I was pulled harder than my arms could take, yanked away from the cool but tolerable inside of the ship.

_Beep!_

The outer airlock closed and I collapsed to the ground, beside Ahsoka.

"I propose we make a deal," she said, breathing hard, "Let's never board a Seppie ship again! All in favor?"

I raised a hand, "Aye."

"Aye," Anakin said.

We shakily rose and exchanged lightsabers - Anakin chopped off Ahsoka's cuffs - and we ran for the door.

"Rex," Anakin called into his wrist comm, "We're gonna need a ride in a minute!"

"Copy, general! We've secured a shuttle!" he sounded like they were under fire. Given the circumstances, it wouldn't have surprised me.

At that point we had five minutes and thirty-two seconds. By the time we reached Rex's position, we had two minutes and seven seconds.

I drew my lightsabers and tore through a Vulture droid in walker mode before it could fire on the beetle-like shuttle. Seeing the troppers rally inside, I sprinted as fast as I could while focusing on deflecting the blaster fire that came at me from both sides.

One minutes and twenty-six seconds.

My foot hit the boarding ramp, followed closely by Anakin's and Ahsoka's. I sat down in the pilot's seat and did away with warming the engines. I cold-started the shuttle and retracted the landing gear. Out of the cornerof my eye, I saw him. Bane was on a catwalk, grappling with a trooper on a catwalk about twenty feet above me. I adjusted the repulsors and brought us alongside just as the trooper brought his carbine to bear and blasted Bane's brains out.

"Get in!" I heard Anakin call.

Ten seconds.

The trooper jumped down onto the ramp, Rex and Anakin catching him as he stumbled and held an injured elbow.

Nine. Eight. Seven.

I turned the shuttle to face the hangar's atmosphere field.

Six. Five. Four. Three.

I threw back the accelerator as Ahsoka retracted the ramp and closed the shuttle doors.

Two.

The ship lurched forward.

One.

The cruiser exploded. I found myself flying through a cloud of gas-fire as I dodged and twisted to avoid flying debris.

My jaw clenched as the flames in front of me came closer together and the end of the tunnel of fire got farther.

I threw the accelerator back as far as it would go and watched as we started flying faster. We might actually make it.

With a bang, we burst out of the cloud of fire and debris.

I let out the breath I didn't know I'd been holding and sagged in my seat as the troopers cheered. A heavy hand clenched my shoulder and I looked up to see Anakin standing beside me, looking out at the Resolute with a smile on his face.

I cracked my knuckles and took hold of the yokes, steing the shuttle into a smooth landing in the Resolute's gaping hangar bay. We disembarked quickly, all of us eager to get washed up and have a good night's sleep.

Over to the side I saw Yularen. Anakin and I strode over to him

"So," he started, "Did you manage to recover the holocron?"

"Um, well... No," Anakin replied, flustered.

"Or capture Bane?" Yularen's left eyebrow was raised. Anakin probably couldn't, but I could clearly see the man was laughing his socks off on the inside.

"No."

"So the mission was your usual version of success, then?"

"I by success, you mean I won, then yes," Anakin said, smugly.

Yularen sighed and walked away. I chuckled as I turned toward the hangar again.

"Sir!" Rex called, "You should see this!"

Anakin started over, but I stopped him. "You go get some sleep, Anakin. I'll handle this."

He nodded his thanks and walked away as I once again boarded the shuttle. Rex and two other troopers were huddled over a puddle of blood.

"This isn't from one of ours, lieutenant," Rex said.

I looked closer at the dark liquid and saw that it wasn't the red of human blood. It was green.

Green like Duros blood.

I ran back down the ramp.

**End Chapter.**

**This took waaaay longer than it should have, but it's nearly 2.5 the normal length. Updates will come more frequently, as the writer's block that's plagued me for over a year has disappeared.**

**I took a lot of liberty with this chapter, both to make it better and because I haven't watched the episode in a few months.**

**Either way, I hope you liked it! And again, thank you all for being so patient with me!**

**Reviewing makes updates come faster. True story.**


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